Southern California -- this just in

UC campuses will ban smoking

January 12, 2012 | 11:26
am

The 10-campus University of California system will become smoke-free over the next two years, UC President Mark G. Yudof said in a letter to chancellors earlier this month.

Yudof said that UC Medical Center and 586 university campuses nationwide already ban smoking, and the UC system -- as a "national leader in healthcare and environmental practices" -- should follow suit. He said that over the next 24 months, the campuses across the state should begin implementing smoke-free policies.

In the letter, he wrote that smoke-free means prohibiting not just cigarettes but also smokeless tobacco products and unregulated nicotine products, in both indoor and outdoor spaces -- including parking lots and residence halls. The sale and advertising of tobacco products will also be blocked, he said.

"Offering a smoke-free environment will contribute positively to the health and well-being of all UC students, faculty, staff and our patients and visitors," Yudof wrote.

In terms of enforcement, the plan is to be educational, focusing on wellness, rather than punitive.

"Each campus will be developing their own policy, and as long as they’re moving forward in a positive direction, that’s really what we want," Grace Crickette, UC's chief risk officer, told the Daily Californian, the student newspaper at UC Berkeley. "Even after they implement it … it’s always going to be an ongoing challenge to help people live healthier.”